Northwestern lost at No. 9 Ohio State by 41 points last Saturday.
This Saturday, the Wildcats travel to Illinois – loser of eight straight games by an average of almost 32 points.
But NU coach Randy Walker said the past is predictably forgotten when the Cats (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) take on their intrastate rivals in the final game of the regular season.
“It doesn’t matter what the records are,” Walker said at Monday’s weekly news conference. “It doesn’t matter where we play – I know they’re going to play well. I know (Illinois coach) Ron (Zook) will have them playing well. They’ll be fired up, flying around. My goal is to do the same here.”
The coach said his team definitely won’t be overconfident after its performance in Columbus, Ohio.
NU’s offense amassed a season-low 251 yards and its defense allowed 324 rushing yards. After taking a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, the Cats surrendered 48 straight points.
This led to a loud Sunday talk, Walker said, and a good Sunday practice.
“We didn’t pat them on the head yesterday and say, ‘That’s OK,’ ” Walker said. “It was pretty direct and pretty critical.”
Coming off such a poor performance, Walker and some Cats players said they won’t be overconfident when they face the dismal Illini (2-8, 0-7), especially after last year’s game.
The Cats, who later lost a shot at the postseason at Hawaii, almost had last season’s bowl hopes derailed by the Illini at Ryan Field. Illinois took a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter, and only a punt return for a touchdown by junior cornerback Jeff Backes and a missed field goal late in the quarter forced overtime. The Cats won 28-21.
None of that’s on Walker’s mind, he said.
“I never talk about the past,” Walker said. “My belief is you don’t drag the past with you. Let’s get on and let’s play our best game this week – It’s about this game. It’s about this week. It’s about us.”
The Cats could improve their bowl positioning with a win. NU, already bowl-eligible with six wins, currently is in the running for a number of bowls, including the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., and the Motor City Bowl in Detroit.
With a win NU also would reach seven wins for only the sixth time since the Cats won the Rose Bowl in 1949.
“7-4 is a whole lot better than 6-5,” junior wide receiver Shaun Herbert said.
Even without bowl positioning or what Walker called “an anger” following last Saturday’s performance, NU should come out with a special kind of fire reserved only for their yearly matchup with the Illini.
“It’s Illinois,” senior linebacker Tim McGarigle said. “I mean, if you can’t get excited for this game, you better check your pulse.”
Inches to go
Freshman running back Tyrell Sutton, who injured his hand in the third quarter last Saturday and missed the rest of the game, is not listed among NU’s injured players – Senior safety Frederic Tarver is listed as probable for Saturday’s game with a ribs/abdominal injury – Freshman safety Brendan Smith, out the last four weeks with a knee injury, is listed as questionable and will continue to practice this week. Walker said his status will be evaluated Tuesday – NU has won two straight games against Illinois and six of 10.
Reach Patrick Dorsey at [email protected].
